Undefeated Mississippi St. wins over LadyVols

[HuskyFan1125]

Vivians wasn't an AA ?
She averaged 40 pts a game in her senior year.

Vivians was a Parade All American. However not a McDonald's AA.

 

[vtcwbuff]

66-62 with a minute left. I'd like to see Tenn. pull out a win!

Never!
My opinion - UTenn is a better team w/o Deshields.
17 turnovers and only 6 assists for the game. Auriemma would be apoplectic.

 

[msf22b]

I watched parts/excerpts; hard to watch continuously.
Both teams were reduced to scoring lay-ups when available
Neither has much else.
Mississippi St (learned to spell in 2nd grade) is not (absolutely, without a doubt), a top-5 team.
If they really are, then the continued trip to the national title by our esteemed collaboration will be a piece of cake; a walk in the park.

State looked just like the moderately talented but under-coached team that we destroyed (where was it...Bridgeport)?

UTenn looks a little better (than they used to)...at least they try (in contrast to last season), seemingly not racked by the dissension rumored in the past.

Holly seems more in charge and the team's play,these days resembles a caricature of Tennessee past.
Play tough D, hit the boards, no offensive coherence.

Then there is the matter of Diamond Deshields, really an amazing, raw talent...all the physical ability in the world.
It's hard to imagine what would have come out of her if Geno would have coached her.
But in three years (+1) of attendance at two (reputedly) top BB schools her game has scantily if at all improved and her [] attitude is far worse. I can't imagine who could straighten her out at the next level; I'm thinking Bill Laimbeer might have a chance.

State's Vivians is another one...don't get me started...some of the wildest looking shot attempts in recent memory.

This afternoon, the dumb, beat the blind....Oh, I wish, please Mr. Almighty...please put UTenn in the Bridgeport regionals as an 8th seed...Pl-ease....

I'd pay anything to see that (oops, I already have tix).

 

[Zorro]

Well, DD shot 6/16, which is not horrible, and 13/15 freebies, which is pretty good. Her percentage on 3s was exactly the same as that of her teammates; she was 0/1m they were 0/6. And she had 9 boards, 2 assts, 2 blocks and only 4 turnovers. The rest of the lv were considerably worse.

 

[Oldbones]

Oh well. guess I'll stop watching WCBB now and just focus on MBB.

MBB instead of WBB for you? That should be quite a trip.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Despite being undefeated Miss St is not the 4th best team in the country. Not sure they are in the Top 10. Lady Vols despite their loss should be in the Top 25. They are playing better and should be ranked.

If Miss St ends up in UConn's bracket I can see another blow out. Won't be a 60 point blowout, but UConn wins by 25+ points.

Bingo.

 

[JavaMan]

Miss. St. - They have what they have. They are what they are. It is what it is.

UConn beat Miss. St. in last years Sweet 16 by the score of 98-38. But, they were 28-7 last year which included losses to S. Carolina, Texas, and of course, UConn.

How Coach Vic Schaefer responded after that loss to UConn is a contributing factor in why they will go deep into the NCAA tournament again this year. Here is his presser after last year's UConn loss:

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And, if you'd like to also revisit highlights and comments from our side after that game:

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[DaddyChoc]

Margo's POV

 

[tomcat]

Definitely agree. Mercedes has really upped her game but as long as DD is playing, there is no discipline. 1 great play followed by 2 stupid plays. They don't even have the discipline to hold for last shots in a quarter. Not impressed by MSU. Vivians can be defensed.

Hadn't seen DeShields play in a long time. It's hard to watch. All that talent, and she manages to pass the ball to no one, lose the ball, drive and chuck the ball up there and hope for the best. Sheesh.

 

[ochoopsfan]

With 2 mins. left it's exactly the kind of game I imagined: Offensively challenged, grind it out, brute basketball. I'm also watching VT vs Clemson. Their grand attendance has to have all of 300 people. Really sad watching two good teams playing before a marching band.

I thought the roads were icy and snowy back in that part of the country. Temps in teens for folks who dont deal with that stuff that much,

 

[JordyG]

I thought the roads were icy and snowy back in that part of the country. Temps in teens for folks who dont deal with that stuff that much,

Good point. Still a shame though.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Vivians was a Parade All American. However not a McDonald's AA.

I think that may have been the year that Parade changed things and named only seniors to their AA team. I believe that Saniya was their POY.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Hadn't seen DeShields play in a long time. It's hard to watch. All that talent, and she manages to pass the ball to no one, lose the ball, drive and chuck the ball up there and hope for the best. Sheesh.

Did you see that one occasion after a play when DD put her arm around Nared and was saying something to her, and then it appeared as though Nared reached up to remove her arm? Could have been nothing, of course.

A few games ago someone tried to put her arm around DD, and DD wasn't having it. Makes one wonder.

 

[triaddukefan]

MBB instead of WBB for you? That should be quite a trip.

Well CFB and MBB were my first loves....... I didnt start to follow WBB until the advanced age of 10-11

 

[mhshuskies]

"I thought we'd play better, but we didn't, and they had everything to do with that". MM could learn from that insight.

 

[Bestiarius]

Tenn missed a big opportunity by losing to, Miss St. It's not often one gets the chance to play a team ranked 4th in the nation, at home before 8447 fans ( a disappointment, as many were hoping for 12-15,000) that is a relative cupcake. Certainly, ND and South Carolina won't be as easy to defeat in an attempt to boost their chances for a better placement in the NCAA tourney.

It appears that the Lady Vol's success begins and ends with Diamond DeShields. Every play seems to follow the same pattern. Get the Ball to Diamond, have her curl around multiple screens for a mid range jumper in the paint near the foul line. If a shot is impossible to take, passing is option #2. The problem with this is the success ratio isn't where it needs to be. All too often, Diamond ends up shooting an air ball, dribbling the ball off her leg, passing to an imaginary team mate in the stands, or having the ball taken out of her hands.

On the defensive end, Diamond has made several spectacular plays, including impossible blocks. Her defense has far exceeded her offense. Unfortunately, for the LVs as a team, Diamond appears to be an overall liability.

I have to shake my head when viewing Holly's post game pressers. First, the press corps appears to be tightly restricted in the nature of questions asked. All soft ball and couched in the most positive terms possible. Questions are asked in a manner appropriate when speaking before a dictator with the power of offing one's head at the slightest provocation.

The questions are asked, all good questions per Holly. And the answers are always the same, we're looking good in practice. Everyone playing with great effort. That's all I can ask of them. All this interspersed with I don't knows.

 

[herbiep]

When Reynolds and Nared went to the bench with 2 fouls, Tennessee went into an offensive drought and MSU surged into the lead.

I don't think MSU is the fourth-best team in the country, but still I'm amazed at how good they are considering they had zero HS all-Americans.

You are right, they are not the fourth best team in the country. They beat a poorly coached Tn. and if you check their schedule, you will find they have not played any real competition. They will not go far in the tournament, with two players.

 

[Nuyoika]

Does anyone really feel like we learned anything from this game about either team? Tennessee played like crap and only lost by 10 to the "#4" team in the land? I don't know what to make of either team really. I think they need to play each other 4 more times for me to make any sort of determinations either way.

 

[CocoHusky]

It appears that the Lady Vol's success begins and ends with Diamond DeShields. Every play seems to follow the same pattern. Get the Ball to Diamond, have her curl around multiple screens for a mid range jumper in the paint near the foul line. If a shot is impossible to take, passing is option #2. The problem with this is the success ratio isn't where it needs to be. All too often, Diamond ends up shooting an air ball, dribbling the ball off her leg, passing to an imaginary team mate in the stands, or having the ball taken out of her hands.
The questions are asked, all good questions per Holly. And the answers are always the same, we're looking good in practice. Everyone playing with great effort. That's all I can ask of them. All this interspersed with I don't knows.

I have been watching TN under Holly for a while now, a curl would be and entirely new concept, a single screen would have been accidental, multiple intentional screens would be pure fiction.

 

[Waquoit]

Well, DD shot 6/16, which is not horrible,

Since when?

 

[Waquoit]

I have to say the Lady Vol website knows how to put on a positive spin - "Tennessee's valiant second-half comeback attempt fell just short in a 74-64 loss..."

 

[bags27]

I didn't catch the game, but in earlier games I didn't see DD making many shots off curls either. I agree with Bestiarius that DD can be spectacular on defense, but not sure I'd characterize her game as better defensively, because there as well she's completely inconsistent and irratic. That she's capable of such brilliance again goes to the sadness of the situation. When her game can be characterized as "an overall liability" as Bestiarius says, it just goes to show how truly sad this is. Wasted talent.

 

[Bestiarius]

I have been watching TN under Holly for a while now, a curl would be and entirely new concept, a single screen would have been accidental, multiple intentional screens would be pure fiction.

I didn't say the screens were intentional. They're just people standing around waiting for DD to do something. Sort of like trees in a forest.

 

[SCGamecock]

When Reynolds and Nared went to the bench with 2 fouls, Tennessee went into an offensive drought and MSU surged into the lead.

I don't think MSU is the fourth-best team in the country, but still I'm amazed at how good they are considering they had zero HS all-Americans.

Vivians wasn't a McDAA? If so, the fact that Vivians wasn't a HS All-American is also alarming here. I believe she put up over 5,000 points during her high school playing career.. that's absolutely insane.

 

[CocoHusky]

Vivians wasn't a McDAA? If so, the fact that Vivians wasn't a HS All-American is also alarming here. I believe she put up over 5,000 points during her high school playing career.. that's absolutely insane.

No she was not and I'm not sure I would have disagreed with it very much back then. Both squads were loaded with some very good wings including Gabby Williams who was injured.
Rosters for 2014 McDonald's All American Game -espnW.